A compact display system may be coupled into goggles, a helmet, or other eyewear. These configurations enable the wearer to view images from a computer, media player, or other electronic device with privacy and mobility. When adapted to display two different images concurrently—one for each eye—the system may be used for stereoscopic display (e.g., virtual-reality) applications.
As the human eye cannot focus on images less than a few centimeters away, a compact display system may be configured to provide the display image as a virtual image—e.g., an image formed in a focal plane located more than a few centimeters from the eye. One challenge in this field is to form such an image using a compact, robust optical arrangement, which also provides suitable image resolution and fidelity.